Sliding-door lock



(No Model.) A 2Sheets -Sheet 1.

' W. H. MONTZ.

SLIDING DOOR LOCK. No. 470.434. Patented Mar. 8, 1892.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

W. H. MONTZ. SLIDING DOOR LOGK.

No. 470,434@ Patented Mar. 8, 1892.

' NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

XVILLIAM H. MONTZ, OF PACKERTON, PENNSYLVANIA.

SLIDING-DOOR LOCK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 470,434, dated March 8, 1892. Application filed May 19,1891. Serial No. 393,806. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WVILLIAM H. MONTZ, of Packerton, in the county of Carbon, and in the State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Holding and Looking Devices for Freight-Car Doors; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 shows in perspective view a portion of a freight-car and the door thereof providedwith myinvcntion; Fig. 2, a view on an enlarged scale of a section on line a: m of Fig. 1; Fig. 3, a bottom plan view of the car carrying the lock and the wedge-piece; Fig. 4, a section of such car on line y y of Fig.3; Fig. 5, a perspective View of the wedgepiece removed from the car.

Letters of like name and kind refer to like parts in each of the figures.

The object of my invention has been to provide improved holding and locking devices for the doors of freight-cars by which a door will, whether wholly open or shut, be held pressed in toward the car-body and will be automatically locked when shut; and to this end my invention consists in the holding and locking devices arranged, constructed, and combined as hereinafter specified.

In the drawings, A designates the casing of a freight-car, and A the door-opening in the same. Situated so as to slide over and away from such opening is the door B, which can be supported in its sliding by any desired means-such as rollers b b-on suitable hangers on the upper edge of the door engaging a track I).

As the manner of supporting the door forms no part of my present invention, other means than the rollers and track shown can be used, as desired.

Attached to the lower edge of the door is the wedge'piece, which has the body 0, provided with bolt-holes c c for the passage of the fastening-bolts c c and the longitudinal horizontal rib 0', extending out from its lower edge. At one end the body 0 is bent at an angle to engage the door end.

Attached to the car-body or the sill of the door-opening and extending outward under the door -bottom are the two brackets D D,

above, when the car-door is shut, while the other bracket is arranged so that its ear engages the rib as the door is opened to its full extent. To guide the wedge-piece in behind the ears and cause such piece and the door to be cammed in toward the car-body as the door approaches its open and closed positions, the opposite ends of the rib O are beveled or inclined inward toward the car-body, so as to form the inclines or cam-surfaces 0 0 In that straight portion of the rib edge which comes opposite the bracket ear when the door is closed is a notch c to be engaged by the nose of the swinging latch E, pivoted in a vertical slot in said ear. Such nose projects beyond the inner face of the car into the path of the rib on the wedge-piece when the latch is in its normal position, and is, like the notch 0 preferably made with straight parallel sides, so that itcan hold the wedge-piece, and consequently the door, securely against longitudinal movement. The engagement of the sides or ends of the notch, standing, as they do, substantially at right angles to the direction of movement of the wedge-piece, with the sides of the nose will not tend to swing the latch outward to disengage its nose from the notch, and the locking of the door will consequently be positive. A downwardly-extending arm or heel e on the latch, projecting beyond the ear and bracket, serves as a handle to move the latch outward to release the wedge-piece and the door, while a spring e, attached to the ear, engages the outer side of the latch and acts to force it ,into its normal operative position with its nose projecting from the inner face of the ear. Preferably this spring is attached to the inner wall of the upper end of the latch-receiving recess, as shown, and is arranged to be under little or no stress when the latch is in its said normal position.

To prevent any breaking of the spring by i too great swinging of the latch, I provide the ears in which the latter is pivoted with an abutment 0 against which the spring will strike, and by which it will be supported when the latch has been swung outward a certain distance. While said spring is deslrable to securely hold the latch in operative locking position, I do not intend to limit myself to its employment or the construction of 1t as shown and described above, as said latch Wlll operate quite well without the spring, especially if it be made heavy or the arm or heel e be weighted. It will then be held in its normal locking position and returned to the latter when it has been swung back by the action of gravity.

Passing through the latch-carrying ear at a point just outside or to the rear of the back of a portion of the latch E when the latter is swung inward is an opening to receive a pin or bar to lock the latch in its normal operatlve position. Such device can be secured in place in any desired way, so that it can not be removed by any unauthorized person withoutdetection. While I contemplate using any suitable form of latch-lock, I prefer that shown in the drawings, consisting of a stapleshaped piece F, one arm of which can be passed through opening cl, having its two arms provided with holes ff to receive a sealing device, which will prevent the piece from being moved, so as to draw its arm, which may have been passed through the ear-opening, out of the path of the latch.

I do not show any seal or sealing device, as the construction and operation of the same in connection with the pierced arms of the piece F, will be fully understood by those familiar with freight-car door-seals. The ordinary form of such device, which consists, essentially, of a wire which can be passed through openings f f and a lead or other seal to secure the wire ends together, can be used. The chain'F, attached to the piece F, is simply to prevent the latter from becoming lost when it is not in operation to lock the latch and can be attached to the car-body or to the earcarryin g bracket, as desired.

The operation of my freight-car-doorholding and locking devices described hereinbefore is as follows: As the door is being shut the cam or inclined surface 0 at the forward end of rib O on the wedge-piece engages the inner face of the latch-carrying car, so that thewedge-piece and the bottom of the door to which it is attached will be cammed or forced in toward the car-body, and, striking the nose of the latch E, cams the latter outward against the stress of its spring 6. The abutment 6 serves, as indicated hereinbefore, to prevent breakage of the spring by a violent swinging of the latch as the door is thrown quickly shut, and it also acts as a stop to limit the extent of such swinging. When the wedge-piece and the door have been cammed in toward the carb0dy by the engagement of the incline c with the ear and the closing of the door is being completed,

unclose the opening in the car.

the straight outer edge of the rib O rides along the inner face of the car until thenotch 0 comes opposite the latch. E, and the latter is thrown quickly into it by the action of Us spring 6'. The staple-like piece E, which, of course, has been out of operative position during the movement of the door described above is now,if the door is to remain locked, placed with one of its arms passing through the opening d and across the path of the rear side of the latch E, and is, if desired, provided in the manner indicated hereinbefore with a sealing device to prevent its being moved, so as to take its latch-stopping arm out of the way of the latter to leave it free to be moved to disengage it from the notch c in the rib of the wedgepiece. When sealing is not required, the p ece F can be secured in operative position by a pin, wire, or other device passed through the opening f in the arm situated in the passage or opening at of the latch-carrying ear, or through both openings f f in the two arms. Then the door is to be opened, the piece E, if it has been used to lock the latch, is withdrawn, and the latter is, by means of its heel e, swung outward until its nose is disengaged from notch 0 The door is then slid along to As the limit of such movement is approached the cam surface or incline c on the inner end of the wedgepiece rib, engaging the second car D, cams the piece and the door inward against the carside or abearin g on the latter, just as the other incline 0 does when the door is being shut, as described hereinbefore.

My holding and locking devices are, while cheap and simple, strong and not liable to get out of order. By them I am enabled to secure that forcing and close holding of the door against the car side or the bearings thereon around the door-opening which is necessary to keep out dust and rain from the car, and also an automatic fastening of the door whenever it is slid shut, which will prevent an easyrunning door from traveling back and forth on its supports as the car is being shifted. This automatic action is especially advantageous to effectually and without care or watching of the train-hands prevent the car-door from coming open when once shut, and insure the catching and holding shut of a free-running door, which without it would continue to run back and forth as the train was shifted. Where the incline on the inner end of the wedge-piece is used with the ear to be engaged thereby, the door will, when fully open, be held so closely against the car side or bearings thereon that it cannot swing outward on its supports and is not likely to be accidentally partially or fully closed by shifting of the car while the latter is being loaded and before the door is to be shut and fastened.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is 1. In combination with the sliding door and the casing having the door-opening, the wedgepiece on the door, having the two opposite inclines and a longitudinal surface between the highest parts of such inclines, and the two ears supported from the casing for engaging such inclines and forcing the door toward the casing as it approaches the limit of its closing' and unclosing movement and then engaging the longitudinal surface so as to hold the door as moved toward the casing, substantially as. and for the purpose set forth.

2. In combination with the sliding door and the casin g having the door-opening, the wedgepiece having an incline and a notch, the stationary ear to engage such incline as the door approaches its closed'position, and the latch on the ear to engage the notch,substantially as and for the purpose shown.

3. In combination with the sliding door and the casin ghavin g the door-openin g, the wed gepiece having an incline and a notch, the stationary ear'adapted to engage the incline as the door approaches its closed position, the latch on the ear to engage the notch in the wedge-piece when the door is shut, and the spring to swing the latch into operative position, substantially as and for. the purpose set forth.

at. In combination with a sliding door and the casi n g having the door-openin g, the wedgepiece on the door, having an incline and a notch, the stationary ear to engage the incline as the door approaches its closed position, the latch on the ear to engage the notch'in the wedge-piece, the spring to move the latch into operative position, and an abutment on the ear to receive and support the spring when it has been moved outward by a swinging of the latch, substantially as and for the purpose described.

5. In combination with a sliding door and the casing having the door-opening,thewedgepiece on the door, having an incline and a notch, the stationary ear to engage such incline as the door approaches its closed position, thelatch on the ear to engage the notch on the wedge-piece, and means for locking the latch in notch-engaging position, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

6. In combination with a sliding door and the casin g having the door-openi'n g, the wed gepiece having the incline and the notch, the

latch to engage the latter, and the stationary car on which the latch is supported, adapted to engage the incline on the wedge-piece as the door approaches its closed position and having a passage through which a locking pin or bar can be passed across the path of the outer side of the latch, substantially as and for the purpose shown.

7. In combination with a sliding door and the casin g having the door-opening, the wedgepiece on the door, having the notch, the latch toengage such notch, the stationaryear to which the latch is pivoted, having the passage through it beyond the outer side of the latch, and the staple -like piece having an arm adapted to pass through such passage, sub stantially as and for the purpose set forth.

8. In combination with the sliding door and the casin g having the door-opening, the wedgepiece on the door, having the notch, the latch to engage the latter, the stationary ear to which the latch is pivoted, having a passage through it to the rear of the outer side of the latch, and the staple-shaped piece having an arm to .pass through the passage in the ear and openings in both arms, substantially as and for the purpose described.

9. In combination with the sliding door and the easing havin g the door-openin g, the wed gepiece. on the door, having the longitudinal horizontal rib provided with the opposite inclines on its ends and-a notch in its edge between such inclines, the stationary ear to en gage one of the inclines as the door approaches the end of its movement to unclose the opening in the casing, the stationary ear to engage the other incline as the door approaches itsclosed position, and the automatic latch on the latter ear to engage the notch in the rib on the Wedge-piece when the door is shut, substantially as and for the purpose described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand this 28th day of April, 1891.

\VILLIAM II. MONTZ.

\Vitnesses:

F. PIERCE LENTZ, EDMUND HIBBLER. 

